Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal to kick off mega sale from October 1

All three companies will look to garner a significant portion of their annual sale value during this period.Madhav Chanchani | ET Bureau | Updated: September 26, 2016, 07:50 IST

Online retailers Flipkart, Amazon India and Snapdeal will roll out their respective annual sales in the first week of October in a bid for larger shares of consumer spend in the festive season.

The Amazon India sale will be from 1-5 October, while the two Indian companies launch their sales from 2-6 October. All three companies will look to garner a significant portion of their annual sale value during this period.

Marketplace Shopclues will hold its sale from 1-10 October, while Paytm is yet to announce dates.

In October 2015 , online retailers did business worth nearly Rs 9,000 crore as shoppers splurged on gadgets, apparel, home furnishings and more.

“This year, online retailers have tried to push the burden of discount on sellers wherever possible,” said Mrigank Gutgutia, Engagement Manager at research firm RedSeer. But with merchants in no mood to come up with flashy discounts on their own, online retailers may be in for a damp season.

RedSeer estimates that overall value of goods sold across all online marketplaces may not exceed Rs 10,000 crore in October this year. Hectic preparations are underway at the e-tailers. In the third edition of its Big Billion Day sale, Flipkart will offer no-cost EMIs and product exchange programmes aimed at attracting more revenue.

Flipkart is also betting big on sale of large appliances, besides extending its domination in the high-margin fashion and apparel segments.

Amazon India is betting on the largest selection of 80 million products. “These marathon 120 hours of the event mark our continuing commitment to bring the biggest sale yet for our customers,” said Amit Agarwal, Vice-President and Country Head, Amazon India.